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Verstappen cops grid penalty for stopping on track

Max Verstappen has been penalised with a three-place grid drop in the Japanese Grand Prix for stopping his car in a dangerous position during qualifying.

Verstappen’s Toro Rosso’s electrics failed as he exited the hairpin at the end of Q1, but the stewards found that the teenager had deliberately steered his car into an unsafe position, breaching sporting regulation 30.13.

Verstappen was on a hot lap to guarantee his place in Q2 when his car failed, and the double waved yellows prevented other drivers from completing their laps.

“The driver initially moved to the left side of the track towards a safe position and when it was about to stop moved to the right onto the racing line, where [the car] eventually stopped.